A new scheme of abuse of Albanian military funds has come to light, revealing shocking details of the management of public money and the involvement of suspicious individuals in state contracts. Media investigations, initially initiated by indications provided by former Deputy Prime Minister Arben Ahmetaj, have unraveled the scheme of how around 30 million euros of Albanian taxes ended up in the accounts of the company “Timak Defense”.
According to published data, this company was created as a collaboration between the state-owned company “Kayo” and private individuals of TIMAK Defense. Although the state owns only 20% of the shares, it bears the entire weight of the financing. The remaining 80% is controlled by private shareholders, who reportedly made an initial investment of only 490 euros for the purchase of shares. In stark contrast, just two months after its establishment, the state immediately disbursed 10 million euros, while the total figure given as an advance is estimated to have reached 30 million euros.
Journalist Julian Hoxhaj said on "Çim Peka Live" that the facts revealed show that despite the staggering sums and propaganda for "Made in Albania" military armored vehicles, there is no real production line. The vehicles are simply modified and welded in an adapted silo, while the state has made available not only the money, but also the working premises.
Another disturbing aspect of this story is the silence and delay of the justice institutions, specifically SPAK. For months after the first denunciations, there was no movement to start any major investigations, until the publication of the latest audio recordings turned the facts into an undeniable public scandal.
Excerpts from the conversation:
Çim Peka: I'll start with Juli. You did a show, Plug, where you dealt with Roni Yeffet. You published documents, you published data. From the audio intercepts published by Arben Ahmetaj, it was clear that they were concerned. The show was broadcast, the documents were public, SPAK didn't even bother to get evidence to start the investigation, only after the interception when they have nothing to do, they are pretending to be interested in investigating. But in fact, the intercepts do nothing other than confirm what you have published. Meanwhile, it was a year ago or a long time ago.
Julian Hoxhaj: In January of this year.
Çim Peka: So from January until today, SPAK was not interested in investigating. Even though the facts had been made public. Only when there was noise or it became big, did it pretend to be interested enough to get the audio recordings from Syri to investigate the famous Kayo.
Julian Hoxhaj: Look, the show actually originated precisely from the fourth show or from the fourth interview that you conducted with Arben Ahmetaj. It was in that interview that Arben Ahmetaj gave, gave clues about the activity of Roni and Yeffet in Albania, starting from what had been denounced before, from the attempt to give the land of the United States embassy to him, the state debt, the involvement in the Vlora airport, and many other things. And in that show he denounced or published data that was precisely related to the way in which Edi Rama was preparing for all the assets of the Albanian army, all the money that is put in, that is, the part of the budget that goes for armaments, to go precisely to Roni and Yeffet. We received clues, we investigated it in a way, the facts are public because they are data, they are treasury transactions, they are documents in the registers of the Central Bank. Of course we have investigated because we have gone as far as Senegal, what Roni Yeffet mentions in the audio recording as the place where the weapons are obtained, packaged in Albania and then sold in different countries. And Senegal was an interesting point because it connected Roni and Yeffet to one of the friends who has already been sentenced to Prime Minister Edi Rama, Charles McGonigal. And normally we have published data at the time that showed how quickly, in that fap, fap way, the Prime Minister had signed, so how the company Timak Defense was founded. The company that is jointly owned by Kayo, the state company, and Arjeta Puca and Roni and Yeffet. Where Roni and Arjeta Puca have 80% of the shares, while the state has only 20%. And what happened and here I want to stop a little to emphasize because it is essentially a mini-incinerator, or it is a form of incinerator or a form of all the concessions that Edi Rama has given from 2014 to today. Because the state is the main financier of all activity. We have seen the data of the documents
Çim Peka: Juli, let's not go into details, because to tell Albanians that Rama steals, you haven't told them anything new. The form is known, he only steals. Rama's form is steal, steal, steal. They will find foreigners, they will find Albanians, in this specific case he found an Israeli.
Julian Hoxhaj: I want to give a direct answer to Kayo's director, Ardi Veliu. Because Ardi Veliu a few days ago declared in a television studio that Roni Yeffet became the majority shareholder, that is, with 80% of the shares, because he promised to invest a lot. In fact, to date it turns out that the only investment that Roni Yeffet has made has been 490 euros that he bought the shares from Arjeta Puca and the investment was made by the state. He disbursed 10 million euros immediately 2 months after the company was founded. And currently as we speak, this company has received 2.5 billion lek or about 30 million euros from Albanian taxpayers. So the Albanian state pays an advance for the cars that Edi Rama sells as "Made in Albania", but in fact, even in the first few days of the show, we saw that there was no production line, but the cars, at least with the eyes of a person, we are talking about a journalist, but also of a simple citizen, we understand that it was a silo where they were modified, welded and then sold as Albanian production. So that's all the company has done.
Çim Peka: Has he given 30 million euros so far?
Julian Hoxhaj: So far 30 million euros.
Çim Peka: And where are these machines welded? In Irfan's former building?
Julian Hoxhaj: So the cars. There are some assets that it has taken. That's where the interesting thing is. So, when the state becomes a co-shareholder with a company, it is assumed that the company that becomes a shareholder outside, that is, the private company, must come with an investment, which must be either a production line or something else. And the state has also given the money, it has also given the premises.
Çim Peka: I really believe that telling Albanians that Rama steals and trying to convince them is a waste of time. They know it. We will simply bring concrete evidence whenever we can, to tell people that Rama is ready to eat with anyone. To tell people that SPAK is in his game because it does not investigate. There is evidence there. This is more for those who believed in the new justice. Rama co-governs in a criminal manner with SPAK. He gives the public food. What does Rama care about? They will release one, they will arrest the other. This job, he changes. I just want to ask quickly, how did you feel when you heard that you were being talked about in the wiretap?
Julian Hoxhaj: Look, the initial feeling is certainly not good, the moment you become the subject of conversation of some people who call themselves traffickers, or call themselves. They have declared that they are traffickers. And of course this was a moment, I personally have not experienced it, I am saying at problematic levels, but the family, close people are concerned, and I will not stop my steps because it is an issue that must be followed, I consider it serious. Because one of the main issues or main problems that was also mentioned in the audio recordings was precisely that Roni Yeffet said that the media will talk a lot about us, they will deal a lot with us and others. So their focus will be journalists. Because the only ones who can uncover the dirty deeds of this government through such people are journalists.
Çim Peka: Even journalists with their fingers.
Juluan Hoxhaj: Absolutely. Those few journalists who have the courage, certainly have the space, like us at Syri Televizione, to do such work to denounce the affairs of this government.
